How do you say, "I have been unkind."?

Question

I'm guessing it's: He estado poco amable." But maybe it's: "He sido poco amable."

Thank you!

...no fui amable..no he sido amable.. :) - Pablo064, Aug 1, 2015

Answer 1

First you might try the Translate feature on this site and see what you get.

See, I would have recommended estar in this usage, but a dictionary search of amable meaning "kind,polite, friendly" shows it with ser in the examples.

I hope others will respond because I think if you use estar you are saying something like: I have not seemed kind whereas using ser you are saying ...have not been...

Answer 2

Yes, context means a lot. When I think about it, a certain circumstance comes to mind.
To wit:

"What? I help you out and you treat me like this?" "I'm sorry. i've been ungracious."

"¡Qué cosa! Te ayudo y me tratas así?" "Lo siento. He sido ingrato."

Answer 3

Context always helps with this stuff. Depending on what exactly you're trying to communicate, you could also go this route:

He sido un poco grosero. --- I've been a little ill-mannered.